title: Biodiesel-derived crude glycerol bioconversion to animal feed: a sustainable option for a biodiesel refinery.
abstract: This study examined the potential of producing an edible fungus, Rhizopus microsporus var. oligosporus, on biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. Prolific fungal growth was observed with a fungal biomass yield of 0.83 ± 0.02 (g biomass increase/ginitial biomass) under optimal cultivation conditions (e.g. nonsterile crude glycerol at a concentration of 75% (w/v) with nutrient supplementation and without pH control). The potential of utilizing front-end processed banagrass (Pennisetum purpureum) juice as a source of nutrients for crude glycerol fermentation was evaluated with a 2.3-fold improvement in the fungal biomass yield. The glycerol-derived fungal biomass showed high amounts of threonine, one of the main limiting amino acids in non-ruminant feeds. An inexpensive fungal protein has the potential to reduce meat product prices by lowering the production costs of animal feeds. The application of fungal technology thus provides a unique sustainable option for biodiesel refineries by providing an additional source of revenue from fungal products.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering (MBBE), University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 1955 East-West Road, Agricultural Science Building 218, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
authors.forename: Saoharit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nitayavardhana
authors.forename: Samir Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Khanal
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D005285:Fermentation; D005990:Glycerol / Q000378:metabolism; D012233:Rhizopus / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D005990:Glycerol